Highway guard



. Oct. 6, 1936. R. H. IRONS El AL 2,056,858

HIGHWAY GUARD Fil ed Dec. 11, 1934 m.-. :zta Raatrarrsec: axes yaw/ Law Ea. /C

drawn/w the bumpers a suitable washer plate 5. Prefer- Patented Oct. 6, 1936 This invention .way guards, and

guard in which steel'plates.

s' PATENT e u-.3

monwar GUARD Robert H. Irons, Harrlsburggand Alexius a. Ecli, Camp Hill, Pa., assignors to-Central Iron 8; Steel Company, Harrisburg, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application December 11, 1934, Serial No; 757,032

6 Claims.

relates to improvements in highmore particularly to that type of the rail is formed of elongated.

One object of the invention is to provide a guard of this type that shall be characterized byv extreme simplicity of construction and simplicity of manufacture A more specific object of the invention is to provide a resilie and assembly.

nt bumper element for highway guards of the stated type including novel and improved means for supporting the rail elements.

Still another object of the invention is to provide novel means for resiliently supporting the rail element so that it may have freedom of iongitudinalmovement with respect to the resilient trail-supporting elements.

The invention further resides in certain novel structural features hereinafter described and illustrated in the attached drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a guard made in accordance. with our invention;

1 Fig. 2 is a iron shown in Fig; 1;

t elevation of the guard assembly Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective viewshowing details of the construction;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4, Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a fra gmentary view in perspective illustrating further details of the construction; and

, Fig. 6 is a view in perspective illustrating a modification within the scope of the invention.

With reference to the drawing, a highway guard made in accordance with our invention comprises a series ofspaced main supports I lllustrated in the present instance as upright posts which may be of wood or any desired material. To the side of each of the intermediate supports I is attached a resilient bumper element 2; to

which is attached the rail 3. The bumpers 2 take the form in the illustrated embodiment ofsheet metal loops, the overlapped free ends of which are secured against the supports.,l by

means in the pr esent instance of bolts 4. These bolts preferably pass completely through the pas-i which constitute the main supports. Where as in 1 the present instance, the posts are made of wood, it is preferred to insert between the posts and ably and as illustrated, the forward or outer faces of the bumpers 2 are convexed or curved in the preferred embodiment, each of the bumpers 2 is provided on its pressed-out fiat forward face with an integral loop 6, through which are passed as by means of bolts 1.

The rail 3 is secured to the terminal supports I of the series by means illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, and 5. To each end of the rail proper is secured a pair of straps 8, 8 which together with transverse flanged plates 9 and Ill form an open box structure into the end of which is passed one or more retaining bolts II. The inner ends of these bolts which pass through apertures in the plate 9 are threaded for reception of nuts I2 which engage the ends of coiled springsI3 on the bolts, the other ends of the springs engaging the plate II). The bolts II,as shown in Fig. 2, extend through the end posts I and maybe tightened to place the rail 3 under tension by turning the bolts from the outer ends, the springs I3 under tension acting to hold the nuts I2 stationary during the tightening operation. Tensioning the rail 3 is effected through the springs I3 which accordingly act as resilient retainers for the rail. The terminal posts I, are supported against the weight and'tension oi the rail by suitable anchored tension rods I4. I

One of the principal advantages of the con- 'struction resides in its extreme simplicity of form, manufacture and assembly. In assembling the structure, the bumper elements 2 may first be secured to the respective posts, after which the individual rail plates are passed endwise a through the strap 6; or the rail elements may be assembled with the respective bumper elements prior to securing the latter elements to the posts. 40 The ends of the rail plates may then be secured' together by the bolts I, after which the bolts II and nuts I2 are manipulated to place the assembled rail under tension.

A desirable feature of the structure resides in the fact that the main supports I do not require absolutely accurate spacing a's'in many of the prior types of highway guard. The use of the integral strap to! the bumper elements 2 avoids the necessity for separate and more complicated means for attaching the rail 3 to the bumper elements. Also this construction permits longitudinal adjustment of the rail 3 with respect to the individual bumpers so that excessive strain is never concentrated on any one of the last-named elements. v

It will be apparent that there may be some modification in the structure as described above without departure fromthe invention Instead for example of using the continuous strap 6 for supporting the rail on the bumper elements, the said elements may be provided as shown in Fig. 6 with pressed-out lugs Ni, ii arranged to embrace .the opposite longitudinal edges of the rail. In

this latter type of construction, it is possible to form one or both of the lugs I! originally so that 1. As a new article of manufacture, aresilient sheet metal bumper for highway guard rails comprising integral pressed-out rail-supporting means formed to embrace both longitudinal edges of the rail.

2. As a new article of manufacture, an inherently resilient sheet metal element constituting a carrier for a highway guard rail and comprising integral means forslidably supporting the rail thereon, said element being adapted to be secured to a supporting member and to form a resilient bumper between said member and the rail.

3. Asa new article of manufacture, a resilient sheet metal bumper for highway guard rails having an integral pressed-out rail-embracing strap.

'4. As a new article of manufacture, a resilient sheet metal bumper for highway guard rails having integral pressed-out clips adapted to embrace the opposite longitudinal edges of said rail.

5. A highway guard comprising in combination, a main support, a sheet metal bumper carried by said support, said bumper having a portion thereof pressed out to form a flat loop, and

a sheet metal rail passing freely through said loop and supported thereby on the bumper.

6, A highway guard comprising in combination, a main support, a sheet metal bumper in the form of -a loop secured to and projecting transversely from the support, the forward face of said bumper being convexed in, the transverse direction, a sheet metal rail positioned against said face, and an integral element pressed out of the metal of said bumper and loosely engaging and supporting said rail.

1 ROBERT H. IRONS.

ALEXIUS E. ECKQ 

